Lyric Opera of Chicago Presents Rising Stars in Concert

The Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Opera Center at Lyric Opera of Chicago will present its annual Rising Stars in Concert program on Saturday, April 7, at 7:30pm at the Lyric Opera House. The concert will include the talented artists and pianist of the 2017/18 Ensemble performing with members of the acclaimed Lyric Opera Orchestra.

The program will feature an array of beloved classics and lesser-known masterpieces by a variety of composers including Tchaikovsky, Offenbach, Massenet, Mozart, Verdi,Handel, Bernstein, Puccini, Rossini, and more. Rising Stars in Concert is offered as a celebratory event to highlight another exceptionally successful year of training and performance for the Ryan Opera Center Ensemble. As in previous years, Lyric donors of $50 and above are eligible to reserve two complimentary tickets to this special performance.

"Rising Stars in Concert, an annual event, is always one of the most exciting nights of our season," says Anthony Freud, Lyric's general director. "It gives the artists ofThe Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Opera Center a wonderful opportunity to show that they have the voice, musicality, and stage presence to make outstanding careers. We take tremendous pride in presenting them in this concert, accompanied by the always-remarkable Lyric Opera Orchestra."

Ryan Opera Center members who will be performing are sopranos Whitney Morrison, Diana Newman and Ann Toomey; mezzo-soprano Lindsay Metzger; contralto Lauren Decker; tenors Alec Carlson, Josh Lovell, and Mario Rojas; baritones Emmett O'Hanlon and Takaoki Onishi; bass-baritone Alan Higgs; and bass Patrick Guetti. Ryan Opera Center pianist Madeline Slettedahl will also perform a selection by French composer Maurice Ravel.

Rising Stars in Concert provides a unique opportunity to hear these artists performing arias and ensembles with the Lyric Opera Orchestra. The orchestra will be conducted by Edwin Outwater, former music director of the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony (2007-2017) and creator and curator of the popular concert series The Line-up at Wrigley Field in Chicago.

Ensemble members Diana Newman, Lindsay Metzger, Alec Carlson, Emmett O'Hanlon, Takaoki Onishi, and Patrick Guetti are concluding their tenure with the Ryan Opera Center following the concert to pursue full-time careers nationally and internationally. The remaining seven Ensemble members will return to the program for 2018/19: sopranos Whitney Morrison and Ann Toomey; contralto Lauren Decker; tenors Josh Lovell and Mario Rojas; bass-baritone Alan Higgs; and pianistMadeline Slettedahl.

The concert will also be recorded for broadcast on 98.7WFMT and via wfmt.com the following day, Sunday, April 8, at 6pm, which is generously sponsored by the Donna Van Eekeren Foundation. WFMT's Lisa Flynn and Lyric's dramaturg Roger Pineswill serve as host and commentator respectively.

PHOTO: Todd Rosenberg

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